And I still blame myself a lot.. We catch up at the cafe in an Asda store near his home in Killingbeck and he speaks bravely but reluctantly; not because he wants to but because he thinks he should, for the sake of his brother Chriss memory. It is part of Leeds Uniteds fabric and it will never disappear: the night when football became murder and so many lives were changed. The shadow of Istanbul is longer for Andy Loftus. Bouncers guarded the bars from any English fans. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. You mention him over Farsley way and people respect him. I was totally speechless, totally shocked. "They were using very bad language," said Abdul Garlad, a manager. A lot of what went on I dont want to know. 11 Feb 02 | Europe Turkish justice moves slowly . This caused a severe riot in the city square, with several restaurant facilities used by fans to fight each other, with iron bars and knives also being used. The 45-year-old was an unused sub when Leeds were defeated by Galatasaray in an infamous 1999-00 Uefa Cup semi-finals - a match that was overshadowed by the death of two Yorkshire fans in the . Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. Because I was so young and the memories arent clear, I get times when I ask myself if it really happened. Holly, as a two-year-old, was left with no memories at all. Two Leeds fans were stabbed to death by Galatasaray supporters before game Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. There isnt much that unnerves me but that was quite a scary moment. Ill be honest, by the time we were kicking off I had no idea why we were playing. Past present or future..', A second added: 'Would much rather see one of the u23s get a chance at lb than Alioski for the rest of the season. Others that the Turks precipitated it by throwing chairs. Shes struggled with it more than I have because shes got nothing there. They had no direct contact with Galatasarays security officials but Fallows and Harry Stokoe, Leedss stadium manager, were able to visit the Ali Sami Yen the day before the game to map the venue out. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". Surprise me? Galatasaray beat English team Leeds United but their matches were marred by violence: two Leeds United fans were stabbed to death before their semi-final first leg at Galatasaray's Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul on 6 April 2000. One minute youre coming out of a bar, the next youve got people running to attack you. (Main photo of Kevin Speight with his son George and daughter Holly). [10][12] This led to the final being considered "high risk"; 2,000 members of the Danish police were assigned to the game, with assistance from members of British and Turkish police forces. Some claimed the English sparked it by throwing beer glasses at passing women pedestrians. Leeds head of security at the game recalled police officers lining the corridors in Galatasarays ground as the players emerged from the dressing room; an attempt, in his eyes, to intimidate them as they prepared to go onto the pitch. [38], In 2013, Arsenal invited Galatasaray to compete at their annual Emirates Cup tournament. The images are so vivid in Peter Ridsdales mind that he can describe every aspect of the hospital where Speight and Loftus were taken after they were attacked. There was no minutes silence or acknowledgement of the deaths. Gray, a Glaswegian, was in the Celtic end with his wife Linda on the day of the Ibrox disaster in 1971. We looked up the steps and all you could see at the top was the dark sky and riot shields around the entrance to the pitch. It's a fantastic city and I'm willing to learn. But from 10.30pm local time, any sense of complacency seemed tragically misplaced, as a brutal battle began between Leeds supporters and a group of Turks, with running fights in the streets. But it had to be done., In the circumstances, did it surprise Fallows that the game in Istanbul went ahead? Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. Maybe, he says, and his voice tails off. Both had numerous other wounds. People know me because of my dad, he says. Eddie Gray is crouching down as he runs up from underground and into the open air. The story goes that he and his wife Susan got together after he offered her a lift on the back of one. George understands why but wishes with hindsight that he had been there. The English FA followed the line of least resistance. When the Turkish club flew over for the return leg two weeks later, an occasion as venomous and bitter as any Elland Road has hosted, they railed against Ridsdales request that their fans be banned from travelling. , updated Through different eyes and different viewpoints, a picture built up of the disregard and indifference with which they had been treated by those they looked to for help. Leeds had taken over an entire corridor at the five-star Kempinski and the squad were in their rooms, ready to sleep ahead of the game the next night. After a while, Andys eldest brother Phil complained of feeling ill and the two of them decided to go back to their hotel. The potential for trouble was as high as anything Id been involved in. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. Asked shortly afterwards whether he thought the tie would still go ahead, Mr Ridsdale said: "It's too early to say. It felt to me like the police were trying to frighten us, he says. Leeds had worries on several fronts: maintaining the safety of other fans in the city, helping the relatives of Speight and Loftus in Turkey and at home, and deciding whether the game at the Ali Sami Yen stadium should even go ahead. Four people were stabbed in the scuffles, which also involved fans from other clubs and were viewed by the media as part of a retaliation for the killing of two Leeds United fans by Galatasaray supporters the month before. Peter Ridsdale, the chairman who guided Leeds through the tragedy, is approaching 70. Give our social media channels a follow . I got arrested which was a bad thing but also a good thing. Both families come here each April 5, to lay flowers and let another year pass. [31] Nineteen of the arrested were British, thirty-six were Turkish and the rest of the arrested included people from Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. When the second leg came round, in the dressing room we were trying to say, Come on, lets get stuck into them. But in the back of your mind youre putting football aside. It sounds daft but I dont think I knew how to react. Following the two tragic deaths, local police arrested and charged four Galatasaray supporters with murder. It wasnt a proper A&E unit. Youre a kid. The road to justice for the Speight and Loftus families was long and demoralising. You dont take much notice of whats said because youre out there for a beer and a laugh. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. At a local police station, at around 4am on April 6, Ridsdale was given a stark message by the UEFA representative who turned up there: play the game, or forfeit it and incur an automatic 3-0 defeat. I stopped getting involved eventually, Andy says. In the early hours of the morning after the death of two Leeds United supporters in Istanbul, Peter Ridsdale met with a delegate from UEFA at one of the citys police stations. Menu The eggs were massive and I was chuffed to bits with mine, he says. Rory Carroll in Istanbul and Martin Wainwright. It was the same at the second leg when I had to stand and look after Galatasarays main man at Elland Road. "This was a premeditated attack," said Steve Wilkinson, who suffered knife wounds to one leg and a wound to his hand. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. Looking at it from where the fans were standing, Id have been as angry as them. This led to 19 injuries, including 4 stabbings, and 60 arrests with similar events occurring in England and Turkey in the aftermath of the riots. How the violence started is unclear. It is wrong to presume to tell those who were affected by the events in Istanbul how to feel or how to react to a player taking Galatasarays money. Ali Umit . I was amazed, he says. Arsenal qualified for the final by defeating French club Lens in their semi-final. On each trip he would set up a desk in the corridor where the team were staying, a point of contact in case of any problems. [30] In total, nineteen people were injured and sixty people were arrested,[27] with 15 of the arrested being subsequently banned from attending Euro 2000. [39] Later on, British media blame also transferred towards Galatasaray fans. At no stage between arriving at the hospital and Leeds playing the first leg against Galatasaray the following night did Ridsdale sleep. Leeds supporters in Istanbul were told to stay in their hotels. The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans being banned from attending the second leg in England. The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans . I can only go on what my mum said, but my dad was nothing like that. Former club legend Harry Kewell previously soured his relationship with Leeds fans after moving to Galatasaray from Liverpool in 2008. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. We switched on the telly and it was all over the news, George says. I didnt want to do it either. 'There were a lot of other clubs out there but this is perfect for me. Galatasaray accused him of trying to gain an unfair sporting advantage. This year is the 20th anniversary of the mens deaths in Istanbul and many of their relatives carry those events as if they happened yesterday. Kewell grew up in Leeds academy and was in the starting line-up for both legs against Galatasaray. That decision drew much criticism, as well it might. My mum flicked it straight off again. One Love was a controlled situation. After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. The complication here is that football has no right to dictate how people manage a grievance that goes so far beyond standard rivalry. The 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence in Istanbul, Turkey, between fans of English football team Leeds United and Turkish team Galatasaray before the first match of the UEFA Cup semi-final on 5 April 2000, led to two Leeds fans being stabbed to death by Galatasaray fans. The first the Leeds players heard of the incident in Taksim Square was when phone calls started reaching them in their hotel. At the hotel, Phil went up to his room. They didnt care., The Speights were different and left the criminal cases alone. "We came out of a bar and there were 100 people waiting for us with machetes, knives, bits of chair and table legs and they just attacked us. After taking stock, he got involved with the cancer charity Candlelighters and helped raise almost 150,000 for local hospital facilities. Right up to the attack, I didnt see any trouble. Other fans in Istanbul spoke of isolated incidents here and there but nothing serious. The Danish police were also criticized for their mishandling of the riots. I dont know why.. It is 10 years since he last went to the grave. And many have voiced their opinion on social media following a report by Football Insider that Alioski has agreed a pre-contract to join the rivals in the summer. The Turkish side are hated by those at Elland Road after two travelling fans were stabbed to. [26] There were further clashes at the airport the day after the game. The families of the victims will tell you that. More importantly, we needed to find out what state the two lads were in and whether we could help them.. Everything about that whole occasion was shocking. The morning after Loftus and Speight were killed, Fallows and Stokoe were asked by Ridsdale to visit every hotel where the clubs supporters were staying. The Galatasaray fans were later attacked from behind by members of British hooligan firms seeking revenge for the Istanbul stabbings. 13:02 EST 23 Mar 2021 The away crowd emptied after Rangers late equaliser without realising what had unfolded inside the ground. Friends and family of Speight and Loftus had congregated there and other Leeds fans were waiting with more minor injuries, some of them slash wounds. "There's a lot of anger. Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. Leeds and Galatasaray fans clashed in violent scenes in April 2000 at 21:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square Following the two tragic deaths, local police arrested and charged four Galatasaray. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". According to one witness, a Turkish man was pushed to the ground and smashed his teeth on the pavement. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. [20], Then, in a calculated attack, approximately 500 Arsenal fans[19] attacked from the main road behind the Galatasaray fans. It might be fair to say that the events of 2000 are a reason to dissuade a footballer with ties to Leeds from engaging with Galatasaray but not necessarily to prohibit him from signing, especially as time goes by. Its completely different. Trust us, this is only going to get worse., It didnt go down well, and I got that.